Roxana Winston's family is in dire straits. Instructed to land a wealthy husband by any means necessary, she is packed off to a holiday season house party thrown by the wealthy Duke of Trent, Maximilian St. Clair. She is determined to get herself compromised, and she needs Max to play his role as protector and demand the proper recompense for her when the time comes. But unbeknownst to everyone, Roxana has a secret plan to break free of the narrow roles for women defined by society. Her skills with the needle can be used for more than disguising her poverty; she hopes she can turn designing into a career. The last thing she needs is to fall for Max, who has a very inconvenient sense of honor and thwarts her every attempt to persuade a certain gentleman to cross the line.
While Max is amused by the lovely Miss Winston's schemes to land a wealthy husband, he is determined to protect her virtue, even when the greatest threat to it comes from him. And when he learns the reason for his guest's behavior, he is more determined then ever to give her the greatest gift of all...even if that means he has to throw his principles to the wind.
